IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 520 

Calling for an end to attacks on Syrian civilians and expanded humanitarian 

access. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2014 

Mr. ROYCE (for himself and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for an end to attacks on Syrian civilians and 

expanded humanitarian access. 

Whereas March 2014 marks the third year of the crisis in 

Syria, which has resulted in the world’s largest ongoing 

humanitarian disaster, and the urgent need for a resolution to the conflict; 

Whereas Bashar al-Assad and supporting militias, including 

Hezbollah, continue to carry out sectarian mass atrocities, which have included mass targeted killings, mass 

graves, the extermination of entire families, including 

their children, incidents of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, widespread torture, aerial bombardment of residential areas, and otherwise forced displacement of certain 

Syrian civilians especially from areas in western Syria 

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where Assad is attempting to increase the dominance of 

his own loyalists; 

Whereas the United States Government should not continue 

to officially recognize a regime that is guilty of such vicious abuses of basic human rights on such a vast scale; 

Whereas the United States Department of State took appropriate action on March 5, 2014, in restricting the movements of Assad’s loyal representative to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, to within a 25-mile radius of 

New York City; 

Whereas approximately 140,000 people have been killed, including more than 11,000 children, many more have been 

seriously wounded, and civilian casualties continue to 

mount as widespread and systematic attacks on schools, 

hospitals, and other civilian facilities persist in violation 

of international norms and principles; 

Whereas the United Nations has registered more than 

2,500,000 Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring 

countries, while regional governments and the United Nations estimate that the total number of refugees already 

has reached more than 3,000,000; 

Whereas the United Nations expects the total refugee count 

to reach over 4,000,000 Syrians by the end of 2014; 

Whereas approximately half of Syrian refugees are children, 

including nearly 500,000 under the age of 5, and thousands have been separated from their parents and are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation; 

Whereas the United Nations estimates that over 9,000,000 

civilians are in need of humanitarian assistance within 

Syria, more than 40 percent of the country’s total population, including 6,500,000 internally displaced persons; 

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Whereas Bashar al-Assad’s forces, supporting militias, and 

other parties to the conflict are systematically blocking 

humanitarian aid delivery, including food and medical 

care, from many civilian areas in violation of international norms and principles; 

Whereas the United Nations estimates that 3,000,000 Syrians are trapped in hard-to-reach or besieged areas, with 

an estimated 250,000 cut off from assistance for over a 

year; 

Whereas the crisis has worsened already difficult conditions 

for Syrian women and girls, who are especially vulnerable 

to economic hardship and gender-based violence, including early marriage, forced marriage, trafficking, sexual 

violence, or the fear of sexual violence; 

Whereas over 5,000,000 children affected by the conflict desperately need food, clean water, shelter, and medical care; 

Whereas millions of Syrian children have been forced out of 

school, and an entire generation of young Syrians are 

being shaped by violence, displacement, and persistent 

lack of opportunity and are therefore at high risk of exploitation, life-long underdevelopment, and radicalization; 

Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 70 

percent of Syria’s medical professionals, up to 80,000 

people, have fled the country, while remaining professionals are deliberately targeted by parties to the conflict; 

Whereas regional states, including Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, 

Egypt and Iraq, are hosting well over 2,000,000 refugees; 

Whereas despite the attention and resources refugee camps 

receive, most refugees from Syria, 83 percent regionally, 

do not live in formal refugee camps but rather among 

host communities where resources and services, including 

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health, water and sanitation, electricity, and other systems are strained at the municipal and national level; 

Whereas many members of the Syrian-American community, 

especially medical professionals, have generously donated 

their time and money, while taking great personal risk, 

in heroic efforts to reach those in need inside Syria with 

humanitarian assistance; 

Whereas the United Nations launched its largest appeal in its 

history for a single humanitarian emergency in December 

2013, requesting an unprecedented $6,500,000,000 in 

2014 for the Syrian response, representing nearly half of 

the United Nations entire global humanitarian request; 

and 

Whereas the United States has provided $1,700,000,000 in 

assistance to those suffering inside Syria, as well as refugees and host communities in neighboring countries and 

has committed to continue to increase its humanitarian 

contributions for those affected by the conflict: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) strongly condemns all parties’ attacks on ci3 vilians and civilian infrastructure in Syria, including 

4 attacks on medical personnel, schools, and health fa5 cilities, and the use of explosive weapons, including 

6 ‘‘barrel bombs’’ and missiles, in populated areas, 

7 and calls on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and sup8 porting militias, as well as all other parties to the 

9 conflict in Syria, to end the violence against civil10 ians, respect international norms and principles, and 

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1 pursue all appropriate diplomatic options to work to2 ward a negotiated end to the crisis; 

3 (2) demands that Bashar al-Assad’s regime and 

4 supporting militias, as well as all other parties to the 

5 conflict in Syria, immediately cease attacks upon ci6 vilians and civilian infrastructure, facilitate unfet7 tered humanitarian access, especially that of domes8 tic and international medical professionals, through9 out the country, respect the safety and security of 

10 humanitarian workers, and ensure freedom of move11 ment for humanitarian workers and organizations so 

12 they may deliver aid to those most in need; 

13 (3) calls for the immediate and full implementa14 tion of the provisions of the October 2013 United 

15 Nations Security Council Presidential Statement, es16 pecially including facilitation of the expansion of hu17 manitarian relief operations in accordance with 

18 international humanitarian norms; 

19 (4) calls for the immediate, full and United Na20 tions-monitored implementation of the provisions of 

21 the 2014 United Nations Security Council Resolu22 tion 2139 to promptly allow unhindered humani23 tarian access, including across conflict lines (for the 

24 United Nations and its partners) to people in need 

25 throughout Syria; 

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1 (5) urges the Administration and allies of the 

2 United States to formally withdraw their recognition 

3 of Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the rightful Govern4 ment of Syria, unless and until the Assad regime 

5 and its supporting militias discontinue their barbaric 

6 slaughter, systematic starvation, and other grave 

7 human rights abuses and are granted full and unfet8 tered access for deliveries of humanitarian assist9 ance, even as other negotiations with Assad’s regime 

10 may continue; 

11 (6) further calls upon the United Nations Secu12 rity Council, acting under Article 5 of the Charter 

13 of the United Nations, to suspend the Government 

14 of Syria’s rights and privileges of membership by the 

15 General Assembly until such time as the Assad re16 gime has ceased attacks upon civilians, and granted 

17 free and unfettered access for deliveries of humani18 tarian assistance throughout the territory of Syria; 

19 (7) urges all donors, regional and otherwise, to 

20 meet the 2014 United Nations humanitarian fund21 ing appeal; 

22 (8) commends regional governments and com23 munities for continuing to host Syrian refuges and 

24 urges them to keep their borders open to civilians 

25 fleeing the Syria conflict; 

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1 (9) calls upon the Assad regime, the Syrian op2 position, and all other parties to the conflict, the Ad3 ministration, and the United Nations to improve 

4 their facilitation and support for the Syrian-Amer5 ican community, especially medical professionals, as 

6 they work to aid the Syrian people with all forms of 

7 humanitarian assistance; 

8 (10) calls for continued international support of 

9 neighboring countries and host communities that are 

10 supporting refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict; 

11 (11) calls for international investment in edu12 cation in host countries to expand learning opportu13 nities for refugee children, and support programs 

14 that help them gain access to quality instruction, 

15 protect them from violence and abuse, and provide 

16 counseling; 

17 (12) calls on the international community to en18 sure that vulnerable refugee and displaced women 

19 and girls have access to services and programs, im20 plement steps to mitigate risks and prevent gender21 based violence, and assure the protection of women 

22 and girls against sexual exploitation, early marriage, 

23 human trafficking, and rape; 

24 (13) calls for the meaningful participation of 

25 Syrian civil society, including women representatives, 

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1 in the overall humanitarian response, political proc2 esses, and peace negotiations; 

3 (14) urges international donors and aid agen4 cies to integrate humanitarian relief and longer-term 

5 development programs through a comprehensive 

6 strategy to address the protracted Syrian crisis; and 

7 (15) calls on the President of the United States 

8 to develop and submit to Congress within 60 days 

9 from adoption of this resolution a strategy for 

10 United States engagement on the Syria crisis, with 

11 a specific focus on humanitarian assistance and de12 velopment, and protecting human rights inside Syria 

13 and in the region. 

Æ 

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